The Great Game Of Pot Limit Omaha

This week on the Poker Review: The Great Game Of PLO, PLO University, and PLO Spin & Gos.

The Great Game Of Pot Limit Omaha (TGGOPLO)

For anyone looking to learn or play a game that isn’t NLHE, TGGOPLO is making a strong resurgence in recent times. Here’s a few ways you can explore the adrenaline-filled, variance-laden world of Pot Limit Omaha.

First-up, PokerStars has announced PLO Spin & Go SNGs.

Win up to $150,000 in just a few minutes with our new Pot Limit Omaha Spin & Go tournaments! Live now, with buy-ins ranging from $1-$15 pic.twitter.com/ipgCfuxlqK

The multipliers will be the same as regular Hold Em No Limit Spins, ie maximum 10,000x.

With a plethora of articles covering various skill levels from beginners to advanced, PokerNews is a great source of PLO strategy & info. They even have some great tips on how to play the new PLO Spin & Gos, which we’ve included below:

PLO Sit & Go Strategy

When it comes to PLO Spin & Gos, it’s worthwhile to remember that during the first level or two — that is, before the stacks become so shallow that a preflop reraise will be an all-in (or close to it) — you will generally want to see flops and then decide whether you want to take your hand to the river.

In fact, PokerStars gives PLO Spin & Go players an extra level when compared to the NLHE Spin & Gos. They still start with 500 chips, but the blinds start at 5/10. Somewhat strangely there’s an ante, too — not typically used in PLO — which makes pot-sized bets and raises a little bigger than they normally would be.

In Level 1 (5/10/3), if the button opens with a pot-sized raise, a pot-sized reraise from the blinds is going to be close to 30 percent of the 500-chip starting stack. In Level 2 (10/20/6), a pot-sized open from the button will itself be almost 9 percent of a starting stack, and a pot-sized reraise from the blinds is already around 55 percent of a 500-chip starting stack. By Level 3 (15/30/9) a pot-sized opening raise is more than a quarter of a 500-chip stack, and a pot-sized reraise would be essentially an all-in commitment from a 500-chip stack — more than 80 percent.

As noted, normally in full-ring, deep-stacked PLO games the better players are focused more on postflop strategies. But because of the fast structure of PLO Spin & Gos, you can only entertain postflop strategies for a short while at the very beginning, then you necessarily have to start thinking about what starting hands are good enough with which to try to commit your stack even before seeing a flop.

Thinking Preflop

The best PLO starting hands involve all four cards (no “danglers”), as they afford you the most good two-card combinations to match with three community cards. Here are some examples of good starting hands with which you can often feel okay about committing most or all of your stack preflop:

four Broadway cards (ace through ten); e.g.

four consecutive cards or “rundown” hands; e.g.

rundown hands with a gap; e.g., or

or hands, better if single- or double-suited

suited ace hands; e.g.,

hands with pairs and two other coordinating cards; e.g.,

If short-stacked, you necessarily expand this list to include other hands like , suited king hands, and so on.

Thinking Postflop

Before you reach that stage of having to try to commit preflop, though, you can play these same hands and see flops with them. Limping is more common in PLO in NLHE, and may be okay to do in these PLO Spin & Gos if it helps you get to the flop cheaply. So, too, is simply calling opening raises rather than three-betting and bloating pots. (But remember, you can only really play this way for the first couple of levels or so.)

When seeing flops, you’ll mostly want to pursue a strategy of betting when you flop a strong hand or big draw, and letting your hand go if you miss. Circumstances and particular opponents may dictate deviating from this occasionally (e.g., when against an obviously overly tight player who can be easily pushed out of hands), but for the most part there’s not going to be enough time or chips to be bluffing or slow playing or being less than straightforward.

What are strong made hands to flop? Flopping sets, flushes, straights, and even a lot two-pair hands will be good. In full-ring, deep-stacked PLO you might not be too eager to get it all in with bottom set or two pair, but in this hyper-turbo when it’s two- or three-handed you can be.

Learn to recognize flops that provide you big draws, too, especially those that give you a huge amount of equity, making you the favorite over even a lot of made hands. For example, you have and the flop comes — that’s no less than 20 outs to make a straight, a big “wrap” draw with which it is worth getting in chips. (source)

More Pot Limit Omaha Beginner Strategy

For complete PLO newbies, PokerStars ambassador @RealKidPoker last week released a How To Play PLO clip. At 15mins long, it’s not the briefest, nor IMO the best, explanation of TGGOPLO, but at least it gives a starter pack of info. Kind of like letting you sniff a fine wine without letting you taste it.

If you want to watch how the high-rollers play the game, check out last year’s $25K PLO WSOP bracelet event with all holecards shown on YouTube. A great insight into what fearlessness looks like.

Of course, if you really want to immerse yourself in PLO, live & breathe it 24/7, you simply must connect with award-winning podcast whiz Joe Ingram, aka Papi, aka @Joeingram1 aka Chicago Joey aka Insta PapiGTO. No-one has more respect for the game. No-one cares as much about Making PLO Great Again. No-one has a bigger heart for TGGOPLO. And, most importantly, no-one cares more about back-door quad draws!

Taking Your Pot Limit Omaha Game To The Next Level With PLO University

If you’ve already scoured the internet for the relatively limited free PLO instructionals and you’re now ready to take your PLO game to another level, Upswing Poker’s brand new Pot Limit Omaha course PLO University is already being heralded as one of the best Pot Limit Omaha strategy course of all time. To learn more about PLO University and its creator, PLO Pro JNandez, click the image below and find out if this premium poker strategy course is right for you.